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La Catapa's tapas are classic but never old hat, inventive but never pretentious. The burst-in-your-mouth croquetas (croquettes) and garlicky razor clams may lure the crowds, but the hidden gems are in the vegetable section: it's hard to decide between the artichoke menestra with crisped jamón (dry-cured ham), ultra-creamy salmorejo (gazpacho's richer, more garlicky sibling), and umami-packed seared mushrooms. Be sure to ask about daily specials.
Calle de Menorca 14, Madrid, 28009, Spain
Known For
- Elevated tapas
- Decadent cream-filled pastry "cigars"
- A Retiro institution
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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In the heart of the tourist fray but blissfully under the radar, this teensy lunch-only restaurant with an old tin bar serves all the Asturian favorites, from fabada (bean stew) to cachopo (ham-and-cheese-stuffed cutlets) to creamy rice pudding. Asturian cider is the requisite beverage.
Calle de Tabernillas 13, Madrid, 28005, Spain
Known For
- Northern Spanish comfort food
- Easy-on-the-wallet prices
- Kitsch decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. No dinner
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To get a literal taste of Lavapiés's vibrant West African community, step into this family-run Senegalese hole-in-the-wall that serves the neighborhood's best mafé (meat-and-peanut stew), samousas (spicy meat-filled turnovers), and thieboudienne (Senegal's national dish, made with fish and vegetables)—at exceptionally affordable prices.
Calle de Caravaca 12, Madrid, 28012, Spain
Known For
- Senegalese home cooking
- Warm and welcoming staff
- Almost exclusively West African clientele
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This laid-back Andalusian barroom, one of three locations (the others are in Retiro and Chamberí), embodies the joyful spirit of that sunny region. Let the cheerful waitstaff guide you through the extensive menu, which includes fried seafood, unconventional croquetas (flecked with garlicky shrimp, for instance), and heftier shareables like creamy oxtail rice and seared Barbate tuna loin. The ensaladilla rusa (tuna-and-potato salad) is one of Madrid's best. In summer, outdoor seating is in high demand.
Calle de las Conchas 9, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- Carefree Andalusian vibe
- A shoal's worth of seafood dishes
- Free marinated carrots with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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This beloved old Galician bar changed hands in 2021—it's now run by three twentysomething Madrid natives who couldn't bear to see their favorite neighborhood hangout disappear—but the menu of eight infallible dishes has miraculously stayed the same (save for the addition of battered cod, a secret family recipe of one of the new business partners). Come for the jamón-flecked croquetas, blistered Padrón peppers, and griddled football-size zapatilla sandwiches; stay for the dressed-down conviviality and the cuncos (ceramic bowls) overflowing with slatey Albariño. In 2022, a second outpost, Malos, opened in Malasaña at Calle de Velarde 13.
Calle del Ave María 44, Madrid, 28012, Spain
Known For
- Old-school Galician bar food
- Oversize ham croquetas
- Battered cod grandfathered in from Casa Revuelta
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Madrileños pour in from far and wide for Esther's famous patatas bravas, fried potato wedges cloaked in vinegary paprika-laced chili sauce. A menu brimming with snails, fried lamb intestines, pork rinds, and Castilian blood sausage confirms that you're in el Madrid profundo. Breakfast is also served.
Calle Fornillos 58, Madrid, 28026, Spain
Known For
- Killer patatas bravas
- Throwback interiors
- Madrid-style offal dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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From the owners of Hola Coffee, Madrid's preeminent third-wave coffee shop, comes this über-trendy roomier outpost two blocks from Gran Vía. Beyond the single-origin espressos and other classics made from roasted-in-house beans, there are warming chai lattes, shrubs, and (seasonal) cold brew. Misión quietly makes some of the best pastries in town—try the house-made croissants or zippy lemon–poppy seed cake—in the abutting Misión Bakehouse. There are plenty of plant-based options on the breakfast and lunch menu as well. Tables are for coffee-sipping and dining only, so if you brought your laptop, sit at the high-top communal table or on the wooden "bleachers."
Calle de los Reyes 5, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Complex brews made with roasted-in-Madrid beans
- Killer pastries
- Cool-kid hangout
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Of all the marvelous bakeries in Madrid, Panem (take-out only) is the most technically skilled, churning out impeccable croissants, baguettes, and a wide range of Spanish and French pastries including Kouign-ammans, roscones (Three Kings cakes), and torrijas (Spanish "French" toast).
Calle de Fernán González 42, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Ultra-flaky French pastries
- Sourdough breads made from specialty flours
- Three blocks from El Retiro
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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At this sun-drenched two-table coffee shop, grab a café con leche before perusing the shelves, which are stocked with Spanish conservas (preserved foods), natural wines, and other culinary gems that make great gifts or picnic fare.
Carrera de San Francisco 12, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Small-production Colombian coffee
- Natural wine for sale (and by the glass, if you ask)
- Local trendster hangout
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Duck into this cozy hole-in-the-wall and be treated like family—Ana, the owner, recites the nightly menu to each table and flits around with a smile until the last guest saunters out. Barrera's famous patatas revolconas (paprika-spiced mashed potatoes topped with crispy pork belly), are always on offer; they might be followed by roast suckling lamb, wine-braised meatballs, or seared dayboat fish depending on the night. Inquire about prices when ordering to avoid sticker shock.
Calle de Alonso Cano 25, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Homey romantic atmosphere
- Terrific patatas revolconas and ensaladilla rusa
- Unhurried all-night dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Mon.
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Fire is the secret ingredient at Roostiq, where pizzas sizzle and puff in a wood-burning oven and meat, fish, and vegetables char until tender over white-hot embers. Even the cheesecake is of the Basque "burnt" variety, brown and caramel-y on the outside and gooey within. The open-hearth technology may be older than the hills, but the buffed concrete walls, zany ceramic plates, and sturdy wooden and marble tables are unmistakably cutting-edge.
Calle de Augusto Figueroa 47, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Open-hearth roasts and pizzas
- 150 champagnes to choose from
- Trendy industrial digs
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Settle into an unhurried feast at Sacha, a cozy bistro with soul-satisfying food and hand-selected wines, and you might never want to leave—especially if you strike up a conversation with chef Sacha himself, who's quite the storyteller. The cuisine is regional Spanish—think butifarra sausages with sautéed mushrooms or razor clams with black garlic emulsion—with just enough imagination to make you wonder why the restaurant isn't better known.
Calle de Juan Hurtado de Mendoza 11, Madrid, 28036, Spain
Known For
- Spanish bistro fare
- Impeccable steak tartare
- Hard-to-find wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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Roast duck carved tableside, truffled pâté en croûte, flambéed Grand Marnier soufflé—Saddle does old-school opulence exceptionally well. Multi-course meals unfold in the anachronistically corporate-chic dining room (think LED backlighting and mid-century modern accents), and feature rare seasonal delicacies including de lágrima (tear-shaped) baby peas and buttery new potatoes flown in from the Canary Islands. Cheese, butter, and cocktail carts rove from table to table and encyclopedic wine stewards go above and beyond, regaling you with curious anecdotes about each individual bottle.
Calle de Amador de los Ríos 6, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Madrid's most reliably superb fine-dining restaurant
- Impeccable service
- Technically impressive cooking without smoke and mirrors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Plan on a siesta after dining at this phenomenal down-home restaurant that hasn't changed a lick since opening a half-century ago. Whether you're in the boisterous downstairs bar or cozy upstairs dining room with cloth napkins and popcorn walls, you'll be blown away by Sylkar's lovingly prepared specialties including creamy ham croquettes, braised squid in ink sauce, battered hake, and the best tortilla española in Madrid for those in the runnier-the-better camp. If the torrijas (custardy Spanish "French" toast) aren't sold out by the time you order dessert, don't miss them. The 9:30 am opening time makes Sylkar a fine spot for breakfast as well.
Calle de Espronceda 17, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Legendary tortilla española
- Irreverent banter with the waitstaff
- Free tapa with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Sat.
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The old-fashioned azulejo (glazed tile) walls, painted red facade, and squat wooden barstools might fool you into thinking this newcomer is any old tavern, but behind the swinging door, cooks are busy plating novel takes on tapas that you didn't know needed improving. Take the crispy pig ear, doused in the usual spicy brava sauce—it gets an unorthodox hit of freshness from tarragon-packed mojo verde. Then there are the stuffed mussels called tigres, amped up with defiantly non-Spanish amounts of chiles, and a bounty of seasonal tapas that always impress.
Calle de Santa María 42, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- Flavor-bomb tapas
- Andalusian-style decor
- Trendy crowd
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This cozy tiled bar will teleport you to the coastal Andalusian city of the same name with briny olives, bone-dry Manzanilla sherries, and shatteringly crisp tortillitas de camarón (shrimp fritters).
Calle de San Isidro Labrador 14, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Outstanding conservas and fried seafood
- Bubbly helpful waitstaff
- Andalusian tavern ambience
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Triciclo serves inventive Spanish-style bistronomie—think baby Asturian favas with mushrooms and seaweed-and-spot-prawn ravioli with saffron and borage. Raciones (sharing dishes), in one-third portions as well as half and full ones, are ideal for creating your own tasting menu whether at the bar or in the dining room.
Calle de Santa María 28, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- Tapas with a modern twist
- Time-honored institution
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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A mano means "by hand" in Spanish, and lest this experimental white-walled tapas and wine bar come across as pretentious, there's an entire section of the menu devoted to finger food. Whet your appetite with one-bite wonders like fried eggplant drizzled with honey and garlicky salmorejo (a cold tomato soup), then settle in for heftier plates like stewed oxtail, which basically melts on fork impact.
Pl. de Matute 4, Madrid, 28012, Spain
Known For
- Innovative vegetable-driven tapas
- Varied wine list with French selections
- Stylish minimalist interiors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Venezuelan comfort foods draw crowds to this bar-restaurant with cheery waitstaff and a soundtrack of Latin jazz. Start with a variety platter of appetizers including tequeños (gooey cheese sticks), cachapas (cheese-stuffed corn cakes), and tostones (green plantain fritters); then dive into a caveman-worthy portion of pabellón criollo (spiced shredded beef, black beans, and rice), the house specialty.
Calle de Luchana 7, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Venezuelan comfort food
- €12 lunch prix fixe
- Fresh-squeezed juices
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Step back in time in this pocket-size seafood restaurant specializing in boquerones en vinagre, freshly shucked oysters, and prawns a la plancha.
Calle de Valencia 14, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Charming hole-in-the-wall
- Fresh seafood
- True-blue neighborhood spot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No dinner Sun.
